Lottery Policy

• If the number of applications exceeds the number of available openings in a specific grade level and specific language program, a public lottery shall be held.
• The lottery process shall be published in advance and articulated prior to the lottery.
• The lottery shall be observed and certified by a third party individual.
•  The lottery will be drawn in the following manner for each language program: Kindergarten, 1st grade, and so on until all seats are filled. Names are drawn one by one.
• Applicants that remain after all available seats in each grade are filled via priority, are placed into their preference categories, drawn by lottery by preference category, then placed on the school’s wait list. For example, if the available spaces are all filled by returning students for a 2nd grade except for 2 seats, and there are several new applicants, three of whom are children of new board members; then those three applicants for that priority 2 category will be placed in a lottery. The first two names drawn by lottery in that Priority 2 category will fill the last two seats available, and the 3rd applicant will be the first person on the wait list for the 2nd grade. Then the lottery will move to the next category, priority 3: siblings of returning resident students. The first name for that priority category will be the second person on the wait list for the 2nd grade and so on until all applicants in that category are placed on the wait list in the order in which their names are drawn by lottery. Then the same will happen for priority 4 applicants until all applicants are placed on the wait list in the order in which they were drawn by lottery.

Parents and/or guardians will be notified in writing that their child has become a Candidate for Enrollment.

Wait List: All applicants not placed in a class will be put on a waitlist. The order of the waitlist will be determined through a lottery as described above. Those offered the opportunity to enroll from the waitlist will have three days to complete the enrollment process (to accept the seat) before the opening will be offered to the next student on the wait list. Lottery and Wait List positions are maintained through March of the current academic year. 

Should a student enroll from the waitlist, siblings of that student that may also be on the wait list will automatically become priority 3 applicants. 

It is the responsibility of the waitlisted parent or guardian to provide updated contact information including a phone number and address, and an email if possible. Waitlist parents must also provide an emergency contact person in the event they cannot be reached regarding an opening. Failure to keep updated information throughout the school year resulting in an inability to notify the parent of an opening waives the student’s placement on the waitlist. Contact may be made by phone, and if available, by email. Every effort will be made to reach the individual in person; however, if this is not possible, a message will be left on the phone and/or email. The parents will be given 72 hours to contact the school and make a decision to accept the opening. If a contact or a decision is not made within this time frame, a school designee shall contact the next person on the wait list to extend an offer.